"I left for England when I was three, but
returned every summer to spend a
few weeks with my Granny.
She lived in the heart of Gorgie, within a short walk of the Cox's
Glue Works, the Shunting Yards, the Heart of Midlothian Football
Ground and my Uncle's place of work, Gilbey's Gin Distillery."

"I am old
enough to remember the coal coming on a horse-drawn cart, the sacks
of coal and coal dust 'bricks' being carried up 5 flights of stairs
and along our hall to be hurled into a wooden cupboard in the
kitchen.

My granny would
skuttle about, putting down old newspaper to keep the hall carpet
clean before they arrived."

"My granny
did her washing at the sink, using a washboard and a mangle that she
clamped onto the sink. There was a drying frame on a pulley on the
kitchen ceiling and you had to dodge about in the kitchen on wet
washdays or you'd get a slap across the face with a wet sheet.

On warm days the
washing got put out on the communal washing lines in the yard
below. One day my granny lost her wedding ring while hanging out
the washing and offered the local children a 'jeely piece' (bread
and jam) to the one who found it. They found it!"

"I have very
vivid memories of 'getting the messages', or doing the shopping,
with Granny Aspey.

- First, would be the
greengrocer with the all pervading smell of boiling beetroots

- Then, the very
long, patient, queue for the baker. I remember with fondness
the Morning Rolls, Vanilla Slices and Coconut Cakes.

- We would go the the
Coop Dairy (St Cuthbert's) to buy the milk tokens, which were made
from an early form of dark red plastic (Bakelite). These would
be left out with the empty bottles to pay for the next milk
delivery.

- We might pop to the
butcher for a bit of "Potted Heed" (pork meat brawn) or a pig's
trotter, I don't recall any steak!

- The Fishmonger's
was run by the Haliburton Family, who stood on wooden duck boards at
the large sinks that ran behind the fish counter. They would take
the fresh fish from out the back, and skin and fillet it for you in
a matter of seconds with breathtaking skill."

"Another
recollection about my Edinburgh childhood was the amount of sweeties
we all consumed - bought and home-made. I think all the
children born in the early 50's were indulged by their parents
because of war-time austerity.

I had a mouth
full of fillings before my 'teens after sucking on:

- 'Edinburgh Rock'

- 'Berwick Cockles'

- tablet

- home-made
honeycomb

- treacle toffees

- sherbert dabs and

- coconut
ice.

This was all
washed down with fizzy Cremola Foam which was a sherbert drink that
came in a powder form, Raspberry or Orange flavour.

"My favourite
family story has never been verified, so it might well be
exaggerated. After living in Gorgie Road my grandmother moved
to Stewart Terrace in Gorgie, opposite the McVities biscuit factory.

One afternoon the
tanker that brought the liquid chocolate to the factory had a
spillage and flooded the street.

Despite Health
Warnings from a factory official, everyone in Stewart Terrace rushed
out with saucepans and jam jars and scooped up the chocolate.

If it's not true,
it should be! Can you imagine the scene?

Dorothy Land (née Jeremy), Suffolk,
England: June 1+3, 2007

Recollections

3.

George T Smith

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island,
British Columbia, Canada

Thank you to George T Smith for the following
comments made in response to Dorothy
Jeremy's comments above.

"Dorothy Jeremy's
wash day memories brought back to mind that 'sculleries'
were equipped with two sinks - one a deep 'Belfast sink' with a
'bunker' over it - with a cast iron gadget between them on which the
wringer was clamped.

Small boys were
enlisted to turn the handle. I suspect that washing was done on
Sundays, despite our Sunday observance traditions as washing
appeared very early on Mondays.

The 'pulley' in
the kitchen may get a resurgence in these days of global warming and
energy conservation. Here in this part of Canada we must not
hang our wet washing in the 'yard' so must use an electric dryer."

- I took up a trade as an apprentice
Cabinetmaker with Scott Morton Ltd
in Murieston Lane, Tynecastle. I became friendly with Davy and Jack
and bought timber from them to carry out small jobs for pocket money.

- In 1965 I joined
the Edinburgh City Police
and on occasion worked out of the police box at Balgreen Road
that has already been mentioned
here on the web site.

- At that time the ‘Horseshoe Pub' on the corner
of Balgreen Road was a joiner's business owned by the
brothers, Davy and Jack Paterson. They had
carried it forward from their father, David."

Around 1975, I was
approached by Jack Paterson.
He told me he was retiring from the
business and offered me the building and goodwill for a few thousand
pounds, but I declined."